1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the conditioning of animal carcasses after slaughtering and skinning. The carcasses, with a smooth, bleached surface, are shrouded and placed in a cool atmosphere and the carcass temperature is lowered to about the freezing temperature.
Traditionally, meat shrouds were constructed of high moisture regain fabrics because these fabrics were initially and exclusively available, and because they were found satisfactory for conditioning carcasses in the sense that the carcasses could be stored in a reasonably orderly fashion, permitted to breathe without excessive dehydration, all the while presenting a reasonably acceptable appearance both in the shroud and after removal of the shroud. Secondary attributes of the high moisture regain meat shroud were a high degree of blood absorption, smoothing of the surface, maintenance of "bloom" in the meat, and distribution of moisture on the carcass. Disadvantages of these high moisture regain shrouds included the strong odor which lingered on the shroud even after washing, and the short life resulting partially from the fact that most high moisture regain fabrics were not of sufficient durability. The meat industry was lacking in a shroud which would stand hard use and repeated washing and which would, in fact, wash clean. Such a shroud would indeed be a meritorious advance in the art.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Meat shrouds have been produced from cotton, ramie, rayon and polyester staple. Before the introduction of polyester staple in shrouds, generally speaking, moisture regain, wicking, water swelling, water retention, and high wet-modulus were considered essential characteristics to be sought in meat shrouds primarily to prevent the dehydration of meat, but secondarily in order to absorb blood so that the surface of the meat be rendered as bloodfree and as presentable as possible. Moisture retention in the carcass being the primary consideration, standard acceptable moisture absorption percentages in commercial shrouds were of the order of 120-160. percent. Moreover, it was and is considered essential that meat shrouds have high strength and resistance to tear and to soil and stain release as well as stability to withstand chlorine bleaching without serious fiber damage. Meat shrouds are laundered after each use and they must be reasonably clean for reuse. Polyester staple shrouds were recently introduced because polyester is known for excellent durability, and it had been found that fibers of polyethylene terephthalate, although having a generally low moisture regain, wicking action, water retention, etc., could be used in staple form without sacrifice of fabric moisture regain, wicking action, and swelling; and therefore in staple form, at least, low moisture regain fibers could be used in meat shrouds. Staple polyester meat shrouds were thereupon adopted by the industry; but it was found that shrouds constructed of staple polyester fibers had one deficiency inherent in the staple form of fabric, and that is they had a tendency to shed or deposit occasional parts of a fiber on the carcass, especially after having been washed repeatedly. These individual fibers, usually of a fraction of an inch in length, while of no particular significance from a health and sanitation point of view were more conspicuous than cellulosic fiber deposits, due to accumulation of electrostatic charge on the fibrils, and appeared somewhat more like animal hair which is considered a source of possible contamination originating from animal skin. The industry had, therefore, prior to the present invention no completely satisfactory conditioning shroud which was both apparently and inherently sanitary, durable, and which would foster an acceptable appearance to the carcass both inshrouded and out of the shroud, all the while retaining during the shroud period sufficient moisture to prevent meat dehydration.